


I Dream of Cassie

by Kairi_of_Knives



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adoption, Day 6- Post Voltron, Kid Fic, M/M, Post-Canon, Season 6 Spoilers, Sheith Month 2018, sheithmonth2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 13:26:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15171686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairi_of_Knives/pseuds/Kairi_of_Knives
Summary: During his time in the Quantum Abyss, Keith found his future visions to be less clear than the past. Hazy, or heavily fragmented at best.  There was one, though, coming only a night before they arrived at the end of the Abyss, that he still thought of long after the resulting struggle with Lotor.  A young girl, vividly terrified of thunderstorms, who loved drawing and the color purple, came to him so clearly that he almost swore it had to be a memory.At the war's end, the paladin who had always feared he would never have a family to call his own carves a loving, comfortable home for himself alongside his life partner and best friend, Shiro, a cosmic wolf, and the girl of his dreams.





	I Dream of Cassie

**Author's Note:**

> This is an entry for Sheith Month 2018, Day 6: Post Voltron. I have never participated before and am super excited to this year since season 6 was so spectacular. That being said, this is a post Voltron fic with heavy references to season 6. I always had the headcanon that Keith and Shiro would be adorable parents and kind of came up with this OC adoptive child, who I affectionately named Cassie because Cassandra Shirogane sounds fancy as hell. With all the future visions that could have happened, that made this fic, which was in my mind for over a year, super easy to write! This was meant to be 2k words long, but now it's 10k. Whoops.
> 
> Welp....ENJOY! And let me know what ya think! (I didn't get to beta it much, so you can also point out mistakes and I'll fix em.)

The journey through the Quantum Abyss provided Keith with a lot of things he had been craving for awhile, the most valuable of which was time. Time to rest his weary bones, which ached from months of never ending missions for the Blades. Time to consider his place in this universe, in the war he had been thrown so callously into, in the folds of the patchwork quilt that was team Voltron. Time to spend with his mother, learning about the kind of woman she was, and to accept that, yes, she left him behind, but he would have been hard pressed to choose a different path in her shoes. The years they spent there in their little hut, days lounging and hunting with Blink, their cosmic wolf companion, felt almost surreal. After three years of non-stop stress, pain and hard work, two full years playing fetch with a beloved dog and conversing with his family was a confusing dream that he simultaneously wasn't sure he wanted to have and almost never wanted to wake up from.

 

And then there were the visions. Some were short, a single image or conversation long. Others felt like movies playing behind his eyelids. Krolia...his mother, though he struggled think that let alone say it aloud, explained that the scenes he say could have been from the past, the present or the future. They would likely all be off branches of this timeline though, not far off distant realities. That being said, he recalled, the further a vision was into the future, the less likely it would occur. Too many moving parts in the machine of time for every single event he saw over the course of two years to come true. All considered though, he found his future visions to be less clear than the past. Hazy, or heavily fragmented at best. He mostly kept them to himself. His premonition of Shiro, eyes glowing with rage, was the most jarring and comprehensible of the batch. He shuddered every time it's memory passed through his thoughts. Luckily, most weren't like that. Many seemed to be his mother's future rather than his own. He kept these to himself too.

 

However, there was one other, coming only a night before they arrived at the end of the Abyss, that he still thought of long after the resulting struggle with Lotor. This one, unlike the rest, was shockingly clear. So much like a memory that he had to rack his brain to recall having seen anything like it before. Neither he nor Krolia, when asked, could remember it. Maybe that was why it had stood out so much.

 

_ He starts by waking up, sharp and alert instantly, searching through the lingering haze of sleep for a sound, anything to indicate what had woken him. There are several sounds to go off of, the hum of the air conditioning, deep, calm breathing from behind him, the rain falling against the roof... _

 

_ Ah, he realizes then as a flash lights up the room, a thunderstorm. _

 

_ Gingerly, he rises from the warm cocoon of blankets, pausing just by the bedside. His exit was disturbing...someone, who moved ever so slightly, sighing, then falling still again. Only when their breathing had leveled out again did he pad out of the bedroom, grabbing a shirt from the armchair on the way out and throwing it on. It falls down past his navel, far too big for him, especially around the shoulders, but it doesn't seem to phase him. The house is dark, but his eyes had always adjusted to dark places better than most humans. He doesn't wander far, just to another door a bit down the hall. Outside it, he stops, listens. Nothing. He nearly turns back the way he came when another flash lights up the hall. A whimper reaches his ear, and he enters the room softly without knocking. _

 

_ The room is unmistakably a child's bedroom. The walls are lined with crayon drawings and posters from movies Keith doesn't entirely recognize. A couple of stuffed animals, including a giant Hippo, are strewn across the bed, which is oddly empty. Sheets ripped down and left a mess, but contained no body and missing a soft purple cosmos blanket, though Keith isn't sure why or how he knows that. Before he can get a grip on how that information is supposed to make him feel, a crash of thunder rips a sob from the closet door, which shivers visibly. He doesn't hesitate to pull open the closet. _

 

_ Inside, it's even darker than the room, but the light from the nightlight near the bed is enough to show him the corner of the vanished blanket, wrapped tightly around a small figured, shaking and sniveling on top of a pile of various purple shoes. Huffing to himself, he kneels, cooing almost comfortingly with open arms. "There you are," he barely recognizes his own voice, it's deeper surely but spoken in such a soft tone it calms even him down. "Did the thunder wake you up?" A tiny mmhmm is the response, accompanied by sniffles. "I'm sorry. But it must not be very comfortable in your closet. Why don't you come on out of there?" The little figure must doubt this strategy because there's no movement whatsoever. Keith chuckles under his breath, trying again, "No good? Don't worry, I'll protect you. Come on now." He holds his arms wide, smiling as the figure starts to move. "Come on, brave girl. I've got you." _

 

_ Girl. Sure enough, it is a girl. Her eyes were shiny with newly shed tears, cheeks probably flaming red, but the very sight of her face, lip wobbling and nose scrunched up, makes this fluttering warmth erupt in his belly. She doesn't give him much time to admire her, quick to bury her face in his neck, arms wrapped around his shoulders as tight as she could. She fits nicely against him, a familiar weight. It's almost automatic for his arms to close around her, one a firm weight against her back, the other carding repetitively through her hair. He hums, content. _

 

The edge of the vision begins to fade, wrinkling slowly towards the middle but the name on his counterpart's tongue is so clear, so vivid, he himself whispers it aloud as the light fades.

 

"Cassie."

 

~X~X~X~

 

Three more years passed before Keith had the chance to think of that vision I'm any real depth again. Unlike his two years on the space whale, these years brought a more activity than he could have imaged. These years brought the end of the war against the Galra empire, namely. The fighting would probably not end for multiple years later, but their opponent was no longer the governing mass of the Galra species, who surrendered to the Coalition and helped form the United Republic, but rather the still hot cinders of the fire that used to be an empire set on conquering the galaxy. The members of Team Voltron were considered "on call", but were granted time away from the front lines to maintain their physical and mental health after so long at the vanguard of the rebellion. In theory, this meant they were free to return to their families, repair what used to be their lives before their fateful first meeting as a team.

 

Or, in Keith and Shiro's case, make up an entirely new life and family for themselves.

 

Lance and Pidge had started a betting pool after Shiro had first been resurrected in his clone's body concerning when and how Shiro and Keith would end up confronting their obvious romantic feelings towards each other. Keith himself had seen the various theories as they were written out and found them ridiculous (Shiro had found a couple so charming he almost convinced Keith to have a "redo" so they could try some of them out). The reality wasn't nearly as storybook as a daring confession in the middle of a fight (though that definitely happened) or a relief filled kiss at the war's conclusion (which also happened). The truth was neither of them really cared to pinpoint a moment when their relationship tipped from best friends to romantically involved. Their feelings had been moving that way slowly since they were reunited after Kerberos. One morning, in their shared bed in Keith's shack on Earth while stocking up on supplies, Shiro had simply kissed Keith good morning on the way to the bathroom and only realized what he did once he shut the door. In his frantic panic to explain himself to Keith, he yanked the door back open and was met by another kiss and Keith's sparkling eyes as he asked in the most Keith way possible, "Is this something we do now?"

 

And so it became something they did. In the aftermath of the official end of the war, the two former Black Paladins moved back into their tiny desert shack. Allura had been trying to convince them to get married, though they already effectively were and Keith personally didn't see why other people wanted to use him and Shiro trading rings as an excuse to get drunk. They weren't against the idea really. But with no pressure to have kids like heterosexual couples, the pressure to marry also felt dulled.

 

One night though, in a dream he was brought right back to that premonition from those years ago. His holding a precious little girl close to his chest, her name warm on his lips, his face buried in her hair. He woke with a gasp, too early to be awake, but too close to morning to justify going back to bed, and spent the better part of two hours on the couch with a sketchbook and pencil, drawing as accurate an image of her as he could while her face was still fresh in his mind. That's how Shiro found him later, concerned at having woken up alone.

 

"Did the muse visit you this morning, baby?" he near whispered, coming to sit gingerly near Keith so as to not disturb his work.

 

Smiling to himself, Keith leaned over to accept a mint flavored kiss. "Something like that. It's just..." He trailed off, fingers brushing the lines of his drawing almost reverently.

 

Shiro looked over his shoulder at his drawing pad. "She's gorgeous. Does she have a name?"

 

"Cassie," Keith muttered, pencil tracing more fly away hairs on her head.

 

"Short for anything?"

 

Keith blinked. "Not sure. Maybe." He sat for awhile in the sounds of his pencil on the paper and his and Shiro's breathing before admitting, "I think she's real, actually."

 

Shiro tilted his head, "You've met her?"

 

"No, but I will?" Keith sounded unsure. Shiro just met his gaze, no challenge or confusion in his eyes, just curiosity. He was the paragon of patience, after all. Keith sighed. "Remember how I told you that in the Quantum Abyss, Mom and I saw visions of our pasts and futures?"

 

Shiro hummed in recognition. "You saw her?"  Keith nodded. Aside from the details of his mother's life with his father, Keith hadn't shared too much of what those visions were like with anyone really. There had just been too much to do to dwell on it. That hadn't meant that Shiro hadn't been curious though. "What was she like?"

 

Keith smiled to himself, turning to plant a kiss on Shiro's nose. If it were anyone else, they probably would have asked Keith if he was sure she was from the future or said something about how reliable those glimpses into the future were. Shiro? He just wanted to know what kind of person she was. "She's scared to death of thunderstorms. Was hiding in her closet, all bundled up. Not sure if it was the lightning flashes, the thunder or both, but she was terrified."

 

Shiro clicked his tongue. "Poor thing."

 

"I think her favorite color is purple. And she draws a lot too. It was only in crayon but her shading was actually pretty good from what I saw. She would probably end up being much better than I am." Keith paused, noticing that Shiro was staring at him with a strange smile on his face. "What?"

 

"You love her." Keith blinked in surprise, averting his gaze down to the portrait in his hands. When he got no reply, Shiro huffed a small laugh to himself, reaching out to stroke Keith's hair. "You haven't met her yet, but you love her to pieces."

 

"She just felt so real," Keith whispered, eyes stormy as they met Shiro's. All doubt and fear. "It's weird right? We may never meet her but she just felt so real to me."

 

Shiro shook his head, leaning over to kiss Keith's forehead gently. "No, baby. That's not weird. She sounds wonderful. If she does exist somewhere, I hope I get to meet her."

 

Keith's heart exploded into warm flutters. Abandoning his drawing pad on the coffee table, he climbed into his partner's lap, full of love and hope and endless affection for both the man in his arms and the little girl in his mind. That feeling that there was someone else in that vision, asleep in Keith's bed in that house, didn't escape him. He knew without a doubt who that would be now. Pressing his forehead against Shiro's neck, he smiled widely. "Me too."

 

~X~X~X~

 

A couple of weeks before his 25th birthday, their water heater decided it wasn't long for this world. In a desert this was mostly acceptable, but fixing the little bugger was an endeavor that involved an hour drive to the nearest town with a parts store. Keith had insisted for multiple minutes that it was fine, he could take his bike instead of Shiro's nice new truck and Shiro could stay home and he'd be back before dark. Life rarely works the way anyone wants it to though. Of course, the minute Keith had got back to his bike and stowed his purchase away in the trunk, the sky decided to open up in the worst thunderstorm they'd had in over five years. He had gotten his tarp over the bike in record time and was still a drenched rat when he finally got under a roof.

 

The familiar tone of Shiro's ringtone barely made itself known over the roar of the water and Keith rolled his eyes playfully as he answered, "Ok, fine, you were right. Those clouds were rain."

 

"Uh huh," Shiro drawled. "Would be pretty nice to have a vehicle with a roof right about now I bet."

 

Keith chuckled, wringing out his shirt a bit. "And a big beefy man to keep me warm." There was a time where even thinking that line would have turned him bright red. But dealing with Shiro's awful pick up lines had basically rendered him shameless.

 

"Says the living furnace."

 

A streak of lightning cut across the sky, striking close enough to make even Keith jump at bit at the deafening crack. The few people on the streets still scattered, most heading inside. Keith figured he ought to wander into the 24 hour diner to try to wait the storm out as well when something caught his eye. A small white blotch in the sea of dark colors, huddled under a bench. "I'm not going anywhere in this mess so I'm gonna head into Mack's until it let's up."

 

"Alright. Call me if you need me. Love you."

 

"I will. Love you too."

 

Casting an eye back at the diner, Keith briefly considered that his policy of "mind your own damn business" might have been the best way to go. But something about the shape of that white bundle peaked his curiosity. It was probably a dog or maybe even just a wayward blanket. But, he still felt this urge to verify that with his own two eyes. He stepped out into the storm, jogging more than walking. The closer he drew, the more apparent it was that the shape was a person. He dropped to a knee by the bench just as another streak of light lit the world up, the thunderous clap coaxing a miserable squeal from below the bench. The sound lit up Keith's head like a light bulb. He knew that cry. Ducking his head under the bench, he blinked the water out of his eyes and gasped.

 

She was covered head to toe in mud, white dress essentially see through and absolutely filthy. Her knees and elbows were scrapped up and bleeding. But even looking like the most unfortunate soul in the world, Keith's heart sung at the sight of her. "H-hey!" he called, relief flowing through him when her tiny face flew up to look at him. "Are you okay? Do you need help?"  No matter how happy he was to meet this little girl that had enchanted him so in his dreams, it was horrible that a girl her age, no older than ten years old surely, was alone under a bench in a storm like this.

 

The poor thing shivered and shuddered, jaw clacking audibly, but said nothing. Keith huffed through his nose, completely out of his element. He didn't do kids, typically. He wasn't like Lance who could make friends with any child he met instantly, or Allura whose soothing voice could calm them down. Even Shiro did better on that front than he did. After all, most people on Team Voltron did call him Space Dad.  Still, he reasoned, whether she was the same girl from the vision or not, she wasn't safe here and he had to do something.

 

He reached a hand out to her slowly, dropping his voice to the softest tone that she would still hear. "Are you scared of the storm?" This time, she nodded. It was a start. Keith smiled. "I'm sorry. They're no fun. You must be cold out in the rain like this." Tiny hands came up to hug herself. It was as good of a confirmation he would get on that one, he knew. "Let's get you out of this rain, ok? There's a diner over there. We can go dry off. Maybe get a milkshake or something?" 

 

Suddenly, her eyes lit up like a beacon. "Milkshake?" Her voice was shaky but also so completely excited. Keith's heart clenched at the sound. He remembered all too clearly how the promise of good food could motivate him once.

 

Keith grinned back at her. "Yeah. Whatever type of milkshake you want. We could even get some cheese fries and a burger if you want. That sound good?"

 

He held his breath as she started wiggling her way out from her hiding spot, but then froze, eyes wide. Her gaze was focused on his hand. Keith withdrew it easily. She was smart not to trust him. It's probably what kept her alive until this point. Keith scooted back, amending, "I won't touch you. If ever you don't feel safe, you can leave. And I won't ever touch you without your permission. I just want to get you some food and get you out of this rain." She finally emerged from under the bench but didn't move to join him. The water rinsed some of the grime off of her, revealing that same pretty face he had felt so drawn to. Keith gave her another small smile. "It's scary to trust people when you're used to taking care of yourself. But there are some things you can't do alone. Someone very special to me taught me that. Sometimes the bravest thing you could do is to trust that there's good in other people." Keith met her eyes, a deep rich brown he couldn't wait to see properly in the light. She didn't look away even though a flash of lightning made her flinch. Keith held out a hand again. "Think you can be brave for me, sweet girl?"

 

He saw her eyes flicker between his face and his outstretched hand, deliberating. His own body was beginning to shiver from the cold rain and the dropping night time temperatures, but he forced himself not to tremble too much. After what felt like a lifetime, the tiny girl before him set her jaw and announced in a clear voice, "Vanilla."

 

Keith blinked. "Vanilla... milkshake?"

 

She nodded, looking very confident in her choice, slipping her small, half frozen hand into his. "Extra whipped cream."

 

Keith's grin felt like it would rip his face in half as his fingers curled around hers. "It's a deal."

 

~X~X~X~

 

Keith wasn't sure where all the food that was brought to their booth kept going but it wasn't on the tablet anymore. His tiny companion demolished her first milkshake, inhaled an entire plate of fries and chicken tenders and now was working on his leftover fries. He was more than happy to share in exchange for her letting the nice waitress clean her up a bit in the bathroom. With her hair brushed and dried in the hand dryer and having had a good scrub down with hand soap and paper towels, she almost looked presentable. Her dress was still a mess, but so were his clothes honestly. They made quite the pair, lounging in half food coma bliss in a table in the back by the Jukebox at nearly midnight.

 

Despite having spent the last few hours together, they really hadn't had a chance to talk much. There were several things that Keith was dying to know. Her name, first and foremost. But also what a cute girl like her had been doing in such awful conditions. The owner, Mack, had swung by when the girls were cleaning up to pick his brain about bringing her into the diner.

 

"Not that I'm against it. Feel bad for her. Ain't the first time I've seen her wandering about these parts."

 

Keith quirked a brow, "And no one thinks it odd that a girl her age isn't being looked after?"

 

Mack shook his head. "The authorities handle her most of the time. I wouldn't even know who else to call. She sure as rain won't say nothin'." The elder man laid a hand on his shoulder in passing as he went back to the register. "Alls I gotta say is: if you got somewhere to take her, and she wants to go, take her. Lord knows whoever is supposed to keep her outta trouble ain't gonna miss her."

 

A few possibilities came to mind when Keith pondered what her current lot in life could have been. None of them particularly healthy. Most of them hit a bit too close to home for Keith personally. No matter how Keith looked at it, the situation wasn't ideal. He was a not-quite 25 year old man, unmarried but in a committed relationship to his 29 year old partner, who he shared a tiny one bedroom shack with. Not to mention the large cosmic space wolf who was perfectly friendly around them, but had never met a child before. They had love to spare for certain but their accommodations were less than ideal for raising a child up. Between the two of them, they could find a better situation, but it would take time, planning, and enough budgeting that Keith shivered at the thought.

 

But anything was better than a Home so neglectful that the streets were a better alternative. And Keith had always known that Shiro would make a wonderful father. He could picture with perfect clarity the way Shiro's face would light up at every happy memory, how steadfast and supportive he would stand by her every failure. And Keith, well, he wasn't at all the doting fatherly type, but he felt something wicked strong for that brave little girl playing with a mutilated straw across from him. His relationship with Shiro had cost him blood, sweat and tears and he didn't hesitate to pay that price once. There was no reason he should be daunted by another relationship that needed a little elbow grease to work out.

 

"You never told me your name," Keith mused, face propped up on his hand. "I told you mine already. I'm Keith. Won't you at least tell me what I can call you?"

 

The girl fiddled with her straw a bit more, not quite meeting his eyes. Even though it was the wee hours of the night, she didn't seem to be lacking in energy. Probably a night owl, like him. He smiled to himself, prepared to have to abandon that line of questioning when finally she spoke the name that rested on the tip of his tongue all this time. "Cassie." Warm chocolate eyes met his violet ones. "The lady at the Home calls me Cassandra but my Mama used to call me Cassie. I like it better."

 

"Cassandra is a gorgeous name, but I like Cassie better too. Has a more personal feel to it." Keith nodded to himself, near giddy at the confirmation that she was indeed the same girl from his vision, though he schooled his face to hide his elation. "Did you run away from the Home, Cassie?"

 

Cassie's eyes fell back to her straw, mouth closing up tight and just like that the doors slammed shut again. Keith withheld a sigh. Patience. It was a bit rough dealing with someone so private. A bit like dealing with a younger version of himself. Or even his current self if he were being honest. He was used to neither.

 

Their similar background was a starting point at least. He always appreciated common threads, honesty and time to sort through things himself. It’s what made Shiro such a good mentor for him in his early days at the Garrison, he knew when to step back and regroup. Humming aloud, Keith mused, "I grew up in a Home myself. My mom wasn't around and my dad died when I was around your age. I hated it there." He played with his own hands as he talked, keeping his eyes mostly to himself so she could react however she wanted. Privacy, as much as one could give while still talking, anyway. "It was rough until I went to high school. But then, I met someone who genuinely wanted to get to know me. He taught me all sorts of things and did everything he could to help me succeed. I owe him everything."

 

"Was he the one that told you to be brave?" Cassie wondered, still folding her straw into interesting shapes. Still, she was listening. That was all he could ask.

 

Keith smiled to himself, voice gaining a bit of levity. "Yeah, actually. His name is Shiro. And he's kind of like a fortune cookie, honestly. Always has something super wise to say when you need to hear it most." He didn't reveal that for every wise saying Shiro had, there was an equally stupid joke or over excited rant about something nerdy waiting in the wings. "He and I live together just a little ways out of town. The storm is mostly cleared up so he's probably worried about me by now."

 

Cassie's eyes met his, sharp with something that he could only guess was alarm. "You...need to go soon?"

 

"Yeah."

 

He left that string dangle between them for a time, observing the girl closely. Those brown eyes had grown stormy again, troubled. Her mouth was twisted in a pout which was pretty cute if not for the fact that it was born of her being sad at this moment. In the dim, buzzing light of the diner, her hair was pretty dark, but clearly more brown than black. Keith was sure that after having a bath it would be much lighter. Her nose and cheeks had just a tiny speckling of freckles now that the dirt was gone. Seeing that cute round face frowning like that tugged at his heart strings, but he felt it necessary to let her make the first move here.

 

"Thank you," it was spoken so lowly he almost didn't hear it. She seemed to realize he didn't quite catch it and repeated herself. "Thank you. For the milkshake. And the food. And being so nice." Cassie drew her bottom lip between her teeth, lest it tremble. 

 

"You're welcome," Keith replied, trying his best to smile for her and failing. After a moment of silence, he finally offered what was eating at him all evening. "You know, if you don't feel like going back to the Home, I wouldn't mind taking you back to my place. Shiro would love to meet you. And, well, our little house isn't the fanciest thing ever, but we make a mean breakfast. We...I...it could be fun." His cheeks flushed at how poorly he was selling this idea. Though, there really wasn't much else to say. They had a couch, a bed, a shower currently lacking in warm water, and each other. Keith himself would take that any day of the week, but a kid with no connections to either of them? It wouldn't have surprised him if she suspected that he was some sort of kidnapper or something. When he got not a peep in response, he shut his eyes in defeat.

 

Sliding out of the booth, Keith smiled sadly at his boots. "Mr. Mack can call someone to pick you up. It's stopped raining but please go somewhere with a shower and a bed at least for a little while?" Cassie stared intently at the table, but managed a stiff nod. "Good girl." Taking a deep breath, Keith steeled himself. "It was lovely meeting you, Cassie. Take care of yourself, okay?" He didn't get an answer and didn't expect one as he met Mack by the cash register. Nodding to him and the waitress, Keith threw thirty bucks on the counter and told the pair to keep the change for their help. Their tired sounding well wishes were drowned out by the sound of the bell as he walked out into the cool, moist night air.

 

Hands deep in his grimy pockets, Keith tipped his head back and exhaled deeply from his nose. His eyes were burning a bit. There were better ways to go about this. Talking to Shiro first would have been the big one, he knew, as he trudged dejectedly towards his bike. It was selfish, what he had said back there. If they really wanted to, he and Shiro could easily narrow down which orphanages were close enough that Cassie could have walked here regularly. They could go there and file paperwork and do things the legal way. Keith wasn't even really trying to avoid that part. It was entirely that he didn't want to leave her behind tonight. Walking away left a hole in his chest and he hated it. Whether it was abuse, neglect or boredom that kept pushing Cassie out of that Home and off to the streets, Keith wanted to shelter her from it. He wanted to give her something he hadn't found at her age. Smiling miserably to himself, he admitted that he also wanted someone like her to look at him like he knew he looked at Shiro back when he first met him. All starry eyes wonder and unconditional affection. Maybe he was being far too dramatic, but he found himself hesitating to even think about a next step here at all. Cassie appreciated his help but that wasn't exactly enough to make her trust him. He wanted her more than she needed him, as much as it stung.

 

Those thoughts consumed his attention so much that he didn't even notice the diner door flying open behind him or the sound of racing footsteps chasing after him. It wasn't until he was tackled by a small body, torso wrapped up tightly by thin arms that he paused, in both mind and body. Turning his head toward her, bewildered, he muttered, "Cassie?" Her face was buried in his back so deep he couldn't make out what she was saying. "What was that? I can't hear you..."

 

"I wanna come too!" she cried, eyes brimming with tears. Her words were half sobs. "I...I don't wanna go back there. It's so lonely and the other kids h-h-hate me. Please don't m-make me go."

 

And that was really all Keith needed to hear. Dropping to his knees, he wrapped the little girl up tight against his chest. One of his hands firm against her back, the other weaved itself gently into her hair, scratching lightly at her scalp. Nodding into her temple, Keith murmured happily, "Of course, sweetheart."

 

And that was that.

 

It wasn't until he was standing on the porch of the shack, arms full of squirming little girl (who had laughed and screamed the entire way home, far too enthralled with his bike), that he even considered what the hell he was going to tell Shiro. Keith hadn't even bothered to call him since that first conversation in the rain, let alone ask if it was okay with him that Keith was bringing a small child over an hour to their place on a whim. He grimaced at his lack of forethought, but had no time to formulate a good excuse before the porch light snapped on and the front door was yanked open.

 

"Keith! Dear God. I thought I was going to have to drive out there and get you myself. You couldn't have at least texted to say you were..." Shiro trailed off as his eyes focused on their unexpected guest.

 

Cassie lifted her head from it's spot in Keith's shoulder at the noise, turning to face Shiro. Keith swallowed harshly, mind reeling. He couldn't dig through the various layers of shock on Shiro's face to tell whether or not he recognized Cassie from his sketch. He figured it was probably best to just word vomit out the truth and let Shiro work his way through it, when Cassie lifted a hand in a wave. "Hi. I'm Cassie. I like your hair, mister."

 

Shiro blinked slowly, recognition slowly settling over his features. His eyes flickered between Keith's and Cassie's for a moment before he nodded to himself, managing a lopsided smile. "Thank you. I like it too. I'm Takashi Shirogane, but most people call me Shiro." Taking a step back, Shiro held the door for Keith tote the young girl inside and shut the door. "You look like you could use a bath, Cassie."

 

Pushing herself free from Keith's hold, she smiled. "Yes please!"

 

They ended up heating up some water on the stove and running her a proper bath, while she became familiar with the shack.  Well, mostly she became familiar with Blink. Any concerns Keith had about the wolf’s handling of a new, smaller, more fragile face was completely unfounded.  They were a funny sight, a small girl cooing affectionately at an apex predator from outer space, who was more than happy to curl up with her and lick her face.  When they finally managed to convince her to leave “Blinky” behind and get into the bath, they shut the door behind her and retreated to their room, Keith expected a lecture. Shiro leaned against their dresser, obviously lost in thought. "I'm sorry I didn't call first, Shiro. Really. I know this was stupid and impulsive, but...I couldn't just leave her."

 

Shiro nodded, rolling his eyes a bit. "Stupid and impulsive is sort of your middle name by now, baby."

 

Keith flushed, but didn't try to refute the statement. He had a feeling there was more to discuss. "Are you mad?"

 

Blinking, Shiro smiled wearily at him. "Mad? No. Just trying to wrap my head around this. It's really her isn't it? She's the same girl from the vision. Same name and everything."

 

Keith's breath hitched. "Yeah. I. Yeah," he stuttered lamely. "I couldn't believe it myself. She was caught out in that storm. Would probably still be out there if I hadn't gotten her to go into the diner with me." Running a hand through his hair, he laughed harshly. "Honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing. The shack is too small for three people and a dog. It's barely enough for two. I don't have the slightest clue how one goes about adopting someone. I don't even know if adopting her is the right move. I really am in over my head this time."

 

A metal hand curled under Keith's chin and tilted it up to press a chaste kiss against Keith's lips. Shiro's eyes were warm as he peered at his partner. "Good thing you're not in this alone, then, huh? Don't worry, we will figure it out. But we won't find all our answers tonight. For now, let's just get cleaned up and in bed. Sound good?"

 

Keith didn't cry then, but it was a very near thing. Shiro and Cassie got along like gasoline and fire, much like Keith expected they would. While he bathed, he could hear Shiro's voice regaling the girl with some tale, which, judging by the excited exclamations he got in response, was well received. When he wandered back into the living room, he was met with the sight of Cassie all bundled up on their couch, Blink happily lounging on her feet, and Shiro planted comfortably on the arm chair. Cassie turned to stare at him, appearing quite scandalized. "You didn't tell me you've been to space!"

 

With a smirk, Keith replied simply, "Well you never asked."

 

"Take me next time! Please?!"

 

Next time.  The flare of emotion Keith felt then killed any further hesitation he had toward this whole thing. She wanted there to be a next time. And so did he. It would probably be difficult and slow going to take care of Cassie, but it was definitely worth it. He and Shiro could give her a future and honestly, Keith wanted to share his future with her as well. She was a kindred spirit, a comfort to him as much as he hoped he would be a port in the storm for her. And he could think of no one better to help this girl, who he saw so much of himself in, alongside him than Shiro, the person who was his guiding light in the dark.

 

They could be a family, Keith realized. Not just him and Shiro versus the universe like he so often thought of it before, but a real honest to God family. It was everything he had ever really been looking for.

 

~X~X~X~

 

It felt like a fever dream to be sitting in the office of an orphanage, waiting for their mandatory counseling session before beginning the process of adoption. As one of the kids in a Home, Keith had never been the subject of one of these meetings. He certainly never pictured he would attend one for any purpose, especially not being the person eager to bring a child into his own home. Life worked in mysterious ways though. Shiro's presence by his side was eternally comforting. It was a weird starting point of this meeting to show up to the Home with the child you're trying to adopt in your arms, having just come from a very hectic breakfast at your house. Then again, the potential lawsuits involved with this institution not properly taking care of said child would make the negotiations here much simpler.

 

The door behind them opened revealing the director of the Home, a small, mousy looking woman named Valerie Lockesly. Her uneasy expression matched Keith's, but it wasn't exactly a soothing thought. "Well, gentlemen," she started, plopping down in the squeaky desk chair across from them. "I finished speaking with Cassandra. She appears to be in good health so I definitely must thank you for returning her to us safe and sound." Keith's eyebrow twitched at the detached tone. Like they were bartering over a car or something. Shiro's left hand squeezing his right was main reason he kept his mouth shut. "It was remiss of us to let her slip out so close to dark. It won't happen again, I assure you."

 

Shiro took a kind but firm tone when he spoke. "We appreciate the thought Ms. Lockesly but we have more than a few witnesses in town that indicated that this was far from the first time Cassie had slipped away from your care. I'm sure you'll understand why we can't quite take your word for it."

 

"Yeah, some of those witnesses were in the local police force," Keith pointed out grumpily.

 

Ms. Lockesly cleared her throat, doing her best to smile, though the result was awkward at best. "Yes. Cassandra has been rather infamous at our establishment for her wandering. We've done our best to reprimand her for it, but she is quite the stubborn one."

 

Taking a deep breath, Keith summoned all the patience in his body to prevent him from lashing out over the word reprimand. He would ask Cassie about it later. But, as long as they could get her away from this place, whatever wrongs that had been done here could be righted. At least, he hoped. "We aren't here for some appraisal of your orphanage or how you run it."

 

The woman blinked, clearly surprised. "Oh. I see. You've just come by to return our ward to us, then?"

 

Shiro shook his head. "Actually, the opposite. We are interested in adopting her."

 

One would think they had grown second heads by the bewildered look on the woman's face. If this Home was anything at all like the one Keith grew up in, adoptions for children older than three years old rarely, if ever, happened. Couples wanted babies they could watch grow their whole lives, blank slates if they could manage it. By the time kids were as old as Cassie, she would be 7 years old as of December 1st according to the file sitting on the desk, most potential parents were fearful of having to break bad habits and unsure if their personalities would mesh well. And for the troublemaker of the group to get an interview before the more manageable kids? They were probably blowing this lady's mind, Keith smirked to himself. "Well now," she trailed off, still obviously trying to assess their sincerity. "I can certainly help you start the process. But there are a lot of steps we would have to take before you could..."

 

Raising a hand in pause, Shiro flashed her a charming smile. "Of course. We're well read on the details. You need to run a background check, drug screening and financial standing check, right? I have our credentials for our finances here, and if you would give us the forms for the first two, we can have both completed by tomorrow. If you needed to send someone to our place to make sure it's fit for a child, we can arrange for that too, but since I'm sure this is a rare case and since we aren't filing any reports on your less than reliable care of her, we would appreciate a bit of leeway from you."

 

"Leeway, Mr. Shirogane?"

 

"We want her to stay with us for the duration of the adoption process," Keith clarified. "Our home isn't a big as your organizations would typically want, but she's made it very clear to us that she would rather not stay here anymore."

 

Ms. Lockesly's brow narrowed immediately. "I'm not quite sure that's reasonable, Mr. Kogane. The process of adoption is long in order to be absolutely sure the child is going to a safe, loving home!"

 

Keith huffed, leaning forward and planting his palms flat on the desk with a slap, "The law also says that institutions that care for children must follow certain guidelines that clearly aren't being followed here in her case. I'm sure you can understand that if she is set on leaving this place every night, which she is, then our home would be much safer than the alternative, which is under a bench near Mack's diner, by the way." A familiar warm hand gripped his arm, coaxing him back against the plush chair. His scowl didn't waver.

 

"We understand that this is highly unorthodox," Shiro was using his most comforting voice on her. "We are more than willing to comply with all the regulations and tests needed for this process to go smoothly. We just ask that in the interest of Cassie's safety and happiness, she stay with us while we perform these tests. You are free to require as many check ins as you need to make sure we aren't abusing this agreement, but we simply can't leave her in your care knowing that she slips away so easily."

 

A speculative frown settled on Ms. Lockesly's face. After a moment of deliberating, she sighed. "If the concern is where Cassandra will feel safest and least likely to wander off, I suppose it's best we ask her." Rising from her chair, she bid, "just a moment while I fetch her" and left the office.

 

The moment the door closed behind her, Keith whipped around to press a furious chain of kisses against Shiro's lips, cheeks and nose. The older man laughed as Keith pulled away for a second to stare into his eyes. "God, I'm glad we didn't get into politics like Allura and Lance, because watching you negotiate like this is doing something to me." Shiro grinned joyously and nuzzled their noses together. "I love you, Takashi Shirogane. Thank you so so much for going along with this insane venture."

 

"Keith, I'm not just doing this for you. I may not have seen her come to me in some crazy space vision, but Cassie's important to me too. I'm just as willing to fight for her as you are." Keith kissed him again, eyes cloudy with held back tears. "And besides we haven't won yet. Eyes on the prize, baby."

 

Keith settled back into his seat but refused to let go of Shiro's hand. "I still feel like I need to repay you for this somehow."

 

"Oh, don't worry. If all goes well, I'm going to propose to you in a super embarrassing way in front of all our friends. You can repay me by saying yes and not strangling me to death until we aren't in public anymore."

 

Keith laughed, blushing deeply as the door opened once more and Cassie hesitantly wandered into the room. Immediately, the little girl in a new clean lavender shirt and beige shorts captured all of his attention. "Hey, Cassie," he greeted, heart stuttering a bit as her face lit up in recognition and she wasted no time coming over to him. With no hesitation, she place her hand in the one he offered her, beaming up at Shiro. Her eyes closed happily as Shiro ran a hand through her hair. He could already tell that she and Blink were going to fight over who got the most head scratches.

 

From the corner of his eye, Keith watched the director observing them. It made his chest swell with pride to see how surprised she looked.  _ See _ , he wanted to say,  _ see how comfortable she is near us? She's our girl. Ours. Not yours.  _ Moving to resume her seat at the other end of the desk, Ms. Lockesly address Cassie, "Cassandra if you wouldn't mind taking a seat. We have something we need to discuss."

 

Cassie's eyes widened at her serious tone, turning her attention immediately to Keith, as if it were his word that truly mattered. Shiro must have realized this too, because he chuckled, stroking her cheek a bit. "Go on, sweetheart. It's just for a minute or two." Cassie met Keith's eyes once more, only complying when he smiled and nodded his consent as well.

 

With all parties seated and attentive, Ms. Lockesly began, "Cassandra I understand that Mr. Kogane here found you during one of your walks last night." She got a sullen nod for her trouble. "Are you aware of how dangerous it is to go somewhere with strangers? Especially if you've never gone to that location before?"

 

The scowl she got from Cassie almost made Keith laugh. It was likely the face he would have pulled if given a half assed lecture like that. Still, she lifted her chin and replied, "Wasn't like that, Ma'am. Mr. Mack wouldn't have let me go if he thought it were dangerous." He caught Shiro's slight, proud smirk in his peripheral vision.

 

Arching a brow, the elder woman continued. "Be that as it may, it was still unwise. As is leaving the grounds. We have had this conversation before, but everyone here is dedicated to keeping you under privileged children safe and cared for until you reach adulthood. If you don't tell us what we are doing wrong, instead choosing to run away all the time, how can we learn to better help you, dear?" Cassie didn't answer, fixing the director with a steely glare. She evidently didn't expect an answer. "Regardless, you've made it clear that you don't want to be here. Until now, you haven't had any other options, but these gentlemen have a proposal." She gestured to Keith, as if to hand the floor over to him.

 

Taking a deep breath, Keith turned in his seat to face Cassie. Her brown eyes were wide with curiosity. Conscious of Shiro's warm presence at his back, supporting him, Keith cleared his throat. "You know I grew up in foster care as well. I think the hardest part was that I really believed I wouldn't ever find someone who wanted to be my family. And while I did eventually meet Shiro, which I wouldn't change for anything, I still wonder how my life would be different if someone had come along and took a chance on getting to know me." Swallowing harshly, Keith tried to ignore how his eyes burned a bit. God, he was nervous. Still, this was important. "You impressed me last night. You have good instincts and a good head on your shoulders and I'd like to think the three of us get along really well. I know what you're going through right now and I think that Shiro and I can help you. And I personally want to get to know you better." His voice cracked on the last line. Shiro raised a hand to rub his shoulder a bit. It helped enough for him to muddle through. "We aren't going to be perfect or normal. We're a little broken still ourselves. But, I'd like to think we could be a family still." Cassie's eyes were wide as saucers, body completely still. Keith, for his part, was hanging on by a thread. "If you think that's something you might want, then Shiro and I want to adopt you, Cass."

 

Every second spent in silence after that squeezed his heart a bit more. Keith kept his eyes trained dutifully on Cassie. Her chest heaved a bit, eyes darting back and forth between himself and Shiro. The first thought in her mind was likely that it was a joke. But, the more time that passed, the more real it probably became. Keith's mind whirled just as fast as hers, considering all the possible ways this could go. It was agonizing. Shiro's fingers massaged small circles into his tense shoulders, but nothing but a tiny melodic voice would release the tension in them.

 

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Cassie hesitantly muttered, "I would...come live with you?"

 

Shiro nodded, a warm smile upon his face. "Mmhmm. We would stay at the shack for a bit, but we would plan to find a bigger place to live, even if we had to build it ourselves."

 

"And...I could ride that cool bike and play with Blinky?" Her eyes sparkled a bit, excited.

 

"Of course, he would be your doggie too," Shiro laughed, squeezing Keith's shoulder a bit.

 

Cassie averted her eyes for a bit, then brought them back up to Keith's. Her voice was soft, unsure. "You'd be my dads? Like for real?"

 

Keith nodded, sniffling a bit. "Yeah, Cassie. If that's what you want."

 

It was like watching the sun rise. The corners of that little girl's mouth started down in a pondering pout, but ever so slowly crept up and up. Her lips formed a smile so wide her teeth eventually peeked out, two adorable dimples forming in her cheeks. A scarlet flush spread across her cheeks, bringing out the red speckles in her eyes more. With a jubilant cry, she leaped from her chair, practically flying across the office to jump into Keith's lap. He couldn't get his arms around her fast enough. A bony knee was digging painfully into the junction of his thigh and hip, but he couldn't care less, happily burying his face in her hair. One of Cassie's hands left his shoulders to reach out to Shiro, which broke what was left of the dam holding his tears back. He sobbed blissfully, thrilled beyond words to be squished in the happiest sandwich ever between his little girl and the love of his life.

 

"Congratulations, dear," Ms. Lockesly spoke from behind her desk, though Keith made no effort to meet her gaze. "Typically, you would stay here until the adoption papers had been accepted by the state-"

 

"No!" Cassie cried, clinging desperately to Keith's neck and Shiro's shirt. "Why can't I go home with them? I want to go back and play with Blinky and hear more space stories." 

 

Shiro shushed her gently. "Listen to what Ms. Lockesly is saying, Cassie."  Keith punctuated the slight rebuke with a kiss to her temple. Almost immediately, she settled back against his chest.

 

"As I was saying, that is the normal procedure. But something tells me that if we tried to hold you here until the process was completed, you would simply sneak out anyway." Cassie grinned. Huffing out a laugh, the director acknowledged, "I thought as much. Therefore, in an effort to make sure you stay safe, I am willing to bend the rules a little bit if you promise not to run off from Mr. Kogane and Mr. Shirogane."

 

"I won't," came Cassie's swift reply. "I promise."

 

Shiro thankfully offered to discuss the timeline and required steps while Keith and Cassie stepped outside for some privacy. In a way, he dislike being outside because the excuse to hold her was gone, but he was also far too overstimulated emotionally to handle that dusty office anymore. "Um," Cassie started from behind him. Keith turned back to smile at her, watching the gears in her head cranking away. When her thoughts did finally spring loose from that head of hers, they came in a giant wave. "Since you and Shiro are both my dads, what should I call you? You can't both be dad. That would be confusing. And you don't have the same last name. Whose last name would I have?"

 

Keith blinked, then chuckled, "Right down to the fine print, huh? You can call us whatever you want. Dad, Papa, even our names. Whatever makes you happy." Cassie smiled, mind likely already considering what her solution to this designation issue would be. "As for our family names, well, to be honest with you, I like Shirogane a bit better than Kogane. Doesn't the name Cassandra Shirogane sound fancy?"

 

Giggling, Cassie nodded. "It does! Keith Shirogane sounds nice too." Her giggles got even worse at Keith's extremely obvious blush. Suddenly, a thought made her eyes light up. "Hey! If we took his name, then we would ALL be Shiro! The Shiro Squad!"

 

They were still cracking up by the time Shiro emerged from the building, bemused by their shared glee and confused by how much harder they started laughing when they saw him. Shaking his head, Shiro unlocked the truck. "Come on you goofballs. Let's go home."

 

Keith and Cassie grinned at each other and hurried along after him. It was a tight fit, but Keith was content. He had his life partner, soon to be daughter, a space dog at home and plenty of adventures ahead to share with all of them. Nothing sounded better.

 

~x~x~x~

 

Keith woke up, sharp and alert instantly, searching through the lingering haze of sleep for a sound, anything to indicate what had woken him. There were several sounds to go off of, the hum of the air conditioning, Shiro's deep, calm breathing from behind him, the rain falling against the roof...

 

Ah, he realized then as a flash lit up the room, a thunderstorm.

 

Gingerly, the rose from the warm cocoon of blankets, pausing just by the bedside. His exit had disturbed his husband, who moved ever so slightly, sighing, then falling still again. Only when Shiro's breathing had leveled out again did he pad out of the bedroom, grabbing the shirt said husband had discarded before their shower from the armchair on the way out and throwing it on. It fell down past his navel, far too big for him, but it smelled familiar. Their new house was dark at night, that was part of why he liked it so much, but his eyes had always adjusted to dark places better than most humans. He didn't wander far, just to Cassie's bedroom right down the hall. Outside it, he stopped, listening for any telltale signs that his daughter had been woken up by the storm. Nothing. He nearly turned back the way he came when another flash lit up the hall. A whimper reached his ear, and he entered the room softly without knocking.

 

Cassie's room looked just the same as always: an organized mess of art, stuffed animals and clothes. Heratio the Hippo was in his normal spot on the bed, but a couple key occupants were missing. Namely, Cassie and her favorite blanket, the very soft purple Galaxy blanket that Pidge had gotten her for Christmas this last year. Cassie had mostly been using it as a security blanket so Keith knew that where his daughter was, the blanket would be too. Another crash of thunder ripped a sob from the closet door, revealing where his targets were hiding. Poor thing, he thought, going to open the closet door. At nine years old, Cassie was still terrified of thunderstorms. He and Shiro had been working with her to curb her fear for awhile now. If she was awake when they started, she could usually distract herself enough to be fine. But, when they snuck up on her and woke her up like tonight, all bets were off.

 

Inside, it was even darker than the room, but the light from the nightlight near the bed was enough to show him the corner of the vanished blanket, wrapped tightly around a small figured, shaking and sniveling on top of a pile of various purple shoes. Huffing to himself, he knelt, cooing almost comfortingly with open arms. "There you are. Did the thunder wake you up?" A tiny mmhmm was the response, accompanied by sniffles. "I'm sorry. But it must not be very comfortable in your closet. Why don't you come on out of there?" Cassie must have doubted this strategy because there was no movement whatsoever. Keith chuckled under his breath, trying again, "No good? Don't worry, I'll protect you. Come on now." He held his arms wide, smiling as the figure started to move. "Come on, brave girl. I've got you."

 

Sure enough, Cassie scuttled out of the closet and into his arms, quick to bury her face in his neck, arms wrapped around his shoulders as tight as she could. She still fit nicely against him, a familiar weight after years of being her second favorite lap to sit in (her first favorite was undoubtedly his mother's, since her nails were long enough to give excellent head scratches while being comfortable to sit on as well). It was almost automatic for his arms to close around her, one a firm weight against her back, the other carding repetitively through her hair. He hummed, content.

 

"There we are. Wasn't so bad, huh? What do you say, sweetheart, want to go sleep with Papashi and I?"

 

Cassie nodded, with a soft, "Yeah, Daddy."

 

Getting himself off of the floor with an armful of not-so-tiny-anymore girl was becoming harder every time he tried it, but he hadn't dropped her yet and he would be damned if he started now. Cassie giggled at his overacted grunts, still shivering more than he would have liked. Little girl in tow, Keith made the significantly louder journey back to his bedroom, unable to maintain his normal level of grace and near silent walking. By the time he managed to get the bedroom door open, Shiro was already propped up against the headboard, smiling blearily at them as they entered.

 

"Is that the love of my life, come to join me in sleepy land?" Shiro loved snuggling up to Cassie. Keith hadn't ever really been one to nap at odd hours of the day, so Shiro had been more than delighted when Cassie eagerly hopped into bed with him for afternoon naps. Or morning naps. Or pre-dinner naps. Keith supposed it was the universe's repayment for the fact that Blink to this day wouldn't go jogging with Shiro, no matter how many bacon treats he was bribed with.

 

Keith snorted, "I was already in sleepy land with you." Cassie huffed, struggling out of his arms the moment she was over the bed. He happily dropped her, knowing she loved to bounce on the bed.

 

"Papashi was talking about me, Daddy," Cassie bragged as she crawled up to curl against Shiro.

 

"To be fair, babydoll, Daddy was the love of my life first. But I have a lot of love to give and you are also the love of my life." Shiro wrapped his arms around her comfortably, yawning widely. Turning to look at him, Shiro smirked and crooked his finger. "Hey, sweet thing, wanna come warm my bed tonight?"

 

Keith grinned, more amused by Cassie's faux pained groan than Shiro's beckoning, "Better watch out, slick. You're playing with fire."

 

"Ooh. Nice one baby."

 

"4/10," Cassie yawned.

 

Keith scoffed as she got comfortable on her other side, leaning over her to place one chaste kiss to Shiro's lips and another to Cassie's cheek. "Well, it wasn't meant for you anyway, Ms. Critic. Now, goodnight equally important loves of my life."

 

"Night," they echoed, both too tired to keep up the banter.

 

As Keith drifted off to sleep, it didn't occur to him that he was living out the dream that started this whole thing in the first place. In fact, he had mostly forgotten about the vision he had back in the Quantum Abyss. It wasn't a consideration when they bought the house they were currently living in, nor when they helped Cassie decorate her room. To Keith at least, that vision had been the spark that lit a fire that was his guiding light toward finding Cassie in the first place. He couldn't say for sure if he would have been so determined to integrate Cassie into his life had he not had the dream in the first place, but he liked to think he would have. If life was made of mile markers, then meeting Cassie in that thunderstorm that night had marked the beginning of his life post Voltron. Meeting her had changed so many things and he loved the knowledge that there were still mile markers ahead to come. For once in his life, Keith couldn't wait to see what was ahead of him.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I am very aware that the way I treated this foster agency is extremely unrealistic and very oversimplified. Aside from that and the chance that I horridly mischaracterized Keith (I like to think he would get more emotionally competent as the years went on and the chance to "save" someone who was in the shoes he once wore would be enough to make him cry, but it was a lot of outward emotion expression for him, I agree), I hope you enjoyed this. 
> 
> Feel free to come scream at me on tumblr (kairiofknives). I will hopefully be able to write more things this month. Work looks a bit rough, but I will definitely make the attempt.


End file.
